How To Embroider Hats on an Embroidery Machine?

Before we get into more details, you’d want to know how you can embroider hats with your home embroidery machine, right?

Let’s start with a quick guide to this process…

Here’s a brief explanation of how you can do it:

1. You start by preparing the design you wish to embroider on the cap. Keeping in mind that a typical hat comes with a smaller design, you’d want to make smaller designs that can easily fit them.

2. Next, you’d want to prepare your hat- say a baseball cap- for embroidery. That is, hoop your stabilizer and attach your cap to it to begin the embroidering process. When doing so, it's always recommended that you use a slightly larger stabilizer to offer you increased manageability of your hat.

3. Now embroider the cap. If you didn’t know, you might need to use a larger needle (say a 90/14) for the process given the thicker fabric of your hat plus the fact that you’ll be stitching through seams.

Pick your design and proceed to place the hoop on your machine, being careful not to remove the hat from the stabilizer.

Some additional tips to keep in mind when embroidering your cap include:

Ensure you turn off all your thread cutters during the embroidering process as these might cause the hoop to move. This can hit the cap bill and easily dislodge your project

If necessary, ensure you adjust your design position so to the center position of your mark 9as shown by the stabilizer mark)

Avoid using the basting function of your machine with the cap. Note that this function forms a box around your design, which can extend past the embroidery area an affect your design

When you’re satisfied with the placement of your design, you might opt to thread the design manually since excess cap might get in the way of the needle threading mechanism

Where possible, reduce the speed of your machine to avoid cases of folded parts of your hat fabric

Once you’re done embroidering the hat, you just need to remove it from hoop. Remove the stabilizer from the cap back, and it’s ready for wearing!

Check the following video on how to embroider hats on the embroidery machine…

Top Embroidery Machine to Work On a Hat:

The Brother SE400 Combination Computerized Sewing and 4x4 Embroidery Machine is one of the most affordable embroidery machines on the market today. Even with its low cost, it presents you with a whole set of mind-blowing features to allow you to enjoy sewing, quilting and embroidering- all in one platform.

The first thing you’ll notice in the machine is its large embroidery area- measuring 4” x 4”. With a single doubt, such a sufficiently big room will give you freedom to maneuver your hats as you wish when embroidering them. It’ also important to note that the working area is brightly lit so that you won’t have any problems working on your design.

Unlike the earlier embroidery machines, this one comes with up to 70 built-in embroidery designs. This ensure you’ll never run out of designs for making custom hats. Better yet, it comes with an easy to view, back-lit LCD screen that allows you to easily access all these designs, edit them, view all the machine tutorials, and so much more.

You’ll also love the machine’s computer connectivity feature. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy all the future machine updates. Not only that, but the function also lets you easily import, digitize embroidery designs from your computer. The comprehensive user manual will make this machine extremely easy for you to run- even if you’re an absolute beginner.

The second machine on our cheap hat embroidery machine reviews list also comes from Brother. This affordable machine shares a great deal of features with its brother from Brother Brand above.

It comes with both sewing and embroidery capabilities. And the most notable thing you’ll love about it is its extra-large 4 by 4-in embroidery hoop that gives you an easy time working on hats of various sizes and shapes.

To boost your design creativity, the machine also presents you with a total of 70 built-in creative embroidery designs. These are sure to help any beginners who are just starting out and don’t have enough skills on how to make their own designs.

Like in the other machines, the large, easy-view, backlit LCD screen allows you to easily view all these designs, do the necessary editing and even view the machine tutorials.

Another feature this machine shares with the Brother SE400 above is computer connectivity. Needless to mention, this function goes a long way in making it possible for you to enjoy future machine updates. And while still at it, it allows you to easily import your designs for use when embroidering your hats.

Additional vital features worth a mention in this machine include the brightly lit workspace, bilingual user manual, and automatic thread cutter- all of which contribute to convenient use of the machine.

Third, we have the SINGER | Quantum Stylist 9960, a machine proudly made by Singer- one of the few highly reputable brands in the sewing/quilting/embroidery industry. Despite having a pocket-friendly price, this portable model comes with loads of easy to use features as well as mountains of accessories- all of which make it incredibly convenient for you to use.

To fit your hat embroidery needs, the machine presents you with up to 600 built-in designs (not to forget the 5 alphanumeric fonts). So, in case you find yourself running out of ideas, or you’re just beginning, you can dig into these multiple options for your embroidering needs.

Just like the Brother machines, this model comes with a large, easy-view LCD screen where you can clearly pick and view the various designs as well as edit them to match your expectations.

Users who have previously operated this machine rave about its extension table which provides you with extensive working space for all types of hats you’re working on. The 2 Stay Bright LED lights are sure to fully illuminate the work area, to make it even easier for you o work on your embroidery projects.

Finally, we’ve got the SINGER Futura XL-400 Portable Sewing and 125 Embroidery Design Machine, also proudly made by Singer Company. And like the other there machines we’ve discussed above, it also comes with excellent embroidery capabilities at an affordable price to meet your limited budget while presenting you with a great hat embroidery experience.

The hat embroidery machine comes with a total of 125 built-in embroidery design, so you’ll never run out of design ideas for your hats. Besides, it comes with 5 embroidery fonts to allow you to easily customize your projects. On top of this, it features up to 30 lettering frames that help you size, rotate or shape the number as per your needs.

Thanks to the 6 StayBright LED lights, your working space will always be filled with light- unlike in other machines that make you strain your eyes to view your embroidery work. Thanks to the mini-hoop capability, this machine allows you to work on hats of various sizes and shapes without experiencing any difficulties.

Being a computerized machine, this model also allows you to import designs from your screen. So, if your clients prefer that you use their own designs, or if you want to use your own designs, you can easily import them into the machine. Besides, this function makes it possible for you to customize your designs on your computer screen.

How To Do It Better?

We’ve just discussed the four most affordable machine that you can use for all your hat embroidery projects.

But we’re not done yet;

To make it even easier for you to embroider on hats with these machines, you can invest in a special hat hoop. This is built to fit the round shape of caps, giving you an easy time embroidering your designs on them,

In this section, I’ll introduce you to 3 top hat hoops that you’d want to purchase alongside your embroidery machine of choice above.

Here are the hoops:

1. HONEYSEW Embroidery Cap Hoop:

Made by Honeysew, this is one of the popular hoops you can find on the market today. It comes with a pretty affordable price- which is one of the reasons why it has won the hearts (and wallets) of people who embroider hats.

The hoop comes in various sizes to ensure it fits all the sizes of hats you plan to embroider on- from the smallest to the largest possible model. The smallest hoop offers you an embroidery area of 1.5"x2"- making it ideal for working on smaller kids caps.

The medium size is 4” x 4” which will perfectly all standard size hats and caps. And the largest size is 6.5"x4"- I doubt if there’s a hat/cap that’s bigger than this embroidery area.

As you’d expect, this hoop comes with a comprehensive user manual which easily and clearly spells the directions to follow when using it. This makes it an extremely easy to use machine for beginners who have never used a hoop before.

The Durkee Cap Frame is the best bet for all those who use multi-needle commercial embroidery machines. The frame makes it possible for you to easily embroider your designs on your clients’ hats. It allows you to easily sew or embroider a logo or design as big as 5" wide and 4.5" tall, so it’ll match most of your embroidery needs.

This cap frame is unlike our Honeysew cap hoop above. When you’re done embroidering the front of the cap, it allows you to turn it around and clamp the cap’s back tabs in place so that you embroider its back as well. Isn’t that what most of your customers want you to do to their caps?

The extremely easy to use Durkee cap frame easily attaches to your hat stitching machine just like any other hoop you might have used before. The vertical slots situated at the back and front of the frame, together with the alignment guides, help you achieve consistent hooping result when working on your hats.

The hoop comes with a durable, lightweight, all metal construction- with stainless steel arms and anodized aluminum plate- which significantly improves its lifespan. It promises a large work area- larger than any hat embroidery system out there. Above all this, it comes with Durkee lifetime replacement warranty to assure you of its reliability and quality.

3. Embroidex Cap/Hat Hoop:

Then we have the Embroidex Cap/Hat Hoop. Like the above two hoops, this model also comes designed to allow you to customize your caps and hats with your designs. Given its pocket-friendly price, this hoop is ideal for all beginners or those who plan to set up a home or small business for customizing hats and caps.

The hoop effortlessly attaches to the bill of your cap securely in the clamp outside your hat stitching machine. It’s also worth noting that it perfectly fit the regular 4 by 4 inches hoop to give you a smooth time working on hats of various sizes and shapes.

Frequently Asked Questions When Embroidering a Hat

1. Do I really need a special machine for embroidering hats?

Yes, if you want to achieve professional, good looking hat embroidery results, then I urge you to invest in a cap embroidery machine. Such a model comes with a special cap hoop that makes the job easier for you while delivering exceptional results.

2. How should I pick a hat embroidery machine for my hat embroidery needs?

Picking the perfect machine for your cap embroidery needs isn’t a hard task. You just need to keep a few things in mind when making your selection to ensure you end with a machine that gives you the real value for your money.

These factors include ease of use (more so for beginners), ease of setup, list of features, integrated designs, ability to import your own designs, number of needles, and even the manufacturer (Singer and Brother do not disappoint).

3. Do I need to use a special thread for my hat embroidery machine?

In most cases, you’ll need to use a thicker thread when embroidering on caps or hats. This is based on the fact that most caps are designed with heavier fabric such as denim or canvas.

Even if the cap isn’t made from such heavy fabric, you’ll find it bearing medium cotton which also calls for thicker thread

Overall, the perfect yarn to use depends on hat material, thread material, and the design. Don’t hesitate to run a test if you’re not sure which thread to use.

5. What is the most used machine embroidery thread for hats?

Rayon thread enjoys extensive usage. This is mainly because it looks great on many caps. It’s also a popular choice given its ability to hold up well against fraying and breaking attempts during the stitching process.

For your information, this thread comes in weighs 30 and 40.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to use a specific bobbin thread in weight that matches the weight of the thread as well as the thickness of the cap material.

5. Do I need to use a special needle for my hat embroidery?

Absolutely! You’ll need to use special embroidery machine needles when customizing your hats.

That said, the most used needle is the 75/11 (for those who don’t know, 75 indicated the European needle size while 11 indicates American needle size).

Generally, hat embroidery requires using larger needles that can easily go through the thicker materials of most caps. So, be sure to use a sharp needle that falls in the 75/11 to 90/14 range.

Final Verdict

There you have it! The FOUR most popular cap embroidery machine models that are worth more than their pocket-friendly prices. As you’ve already noted, these machines come with a set of amazing features- like computer connectivity, built-in designs, large embroidery area, automated functions, easy-view LCD touch screen, and well-lit work area- all of which make the process of embroidering your awesome designs onto caps and hats easy and fun.

The fact that these models are straightforward to use means that they’re ideal for everyone- including absolute beginners.

To make the hat embroidery work even easier, I’ve also pointed out the 3 cap hoops you can invest in alongside the machine. If you want to get professional, eye-grabbing cap embroidery results, then I urge you to grab any of these hoops today. Thank me later.

Comments

the fabric of the hat is much more stronger and the layers are more than the actual fabric. so this is a tough job to get embroidery on the hat. thanks for the suggestions you made. this is really helpful tips to get an embroidery on the hat.

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